Galena: Big hills, rewards

For Chicago cyclists whose biggest challenge often lies in dodging truck exhaust, the big sky and steep elevations of Galena have long been a haven for riders looking for a stiffer challenge than the lakeshore path offers. Check out these photos and click here for the related article.

Charles J. Johnson, Tribune Newspapers

GALENA, Ill. — My Toyota Camry's engine squealed and kicked into gear, pushing me higher up U.S. Highway 20 and swinging me around a bend in the countryside near Galena. The gasps of the car's six cylinders filling the cabin, my bicycle looked particularly feeble at the moment, its front wheel detached, lying sideways on the back seat like a wounded animal.

Three hours from Chicago, the Galena area is lush with tree-dotted rolling hills carved over centuries by wind and water. The slopes descend hundreds feet of into isolated hollows and pastures, where streams cut defiant patterns into the hillsides, then trickle into the valleys. The roads have to double back on themselves as they climb, revealing the sort of vistas that chase tension from the shoulders in a hurry.

For Chicago cyclists whose biggest challenge often lies in dodging truck exhaust, the big sky and steep elevations of Galena have long been a haven for riders looking for a stiffer challenge than the lakeshore path offers.

With that challenge in mind, I set out to tackle the rolling hills around Galena.

But if the drive in weren't intimidating enough, the thought of being left behind on the hills by Duff Stewart, my 57-year-old tour guide — the sort of guy who rides to and from the spin class he teaches — had me nervously fumbling to reattach my front wheel. Galena's terrain is far better suited for carbon fiber and mountain cassettes than the steel-framed cyclocross velo I use to battle city potholes. Single-speed riders need not apply.

"You're young. I'm experienced but old. You'll be fine," Duff said.

We set off north from Main Street, the road sloping upward ahead of us, then dipping, then sloping up again. My gears rarely remained in the same place for more than a few minutes. We dodged occasional cow manure instead of potholes, and I could make out farm machinery puttering on the roads below us.

Then we hit our first real climb. "A 7 out of 10," according to Duff.

I downshifted, wrapped my hands tightly around my brake hoods and pumped, head down. Leg burn set in. I stood up and pumped harder as I pushed ahead of Duff and hit the summit a few minutes later, just feet below the highest point in Illinois.

Duff pulled up next to me, panting.

"Ride in Galena, you get a reward for your work," he said. He was referring to the white-knuckled, 40-mph descent down the backside of the hill. You don't get those on the Damen Avenue bridge.

The descent carried us to Council Hill Station, a still-standing general store and boardinghouse from the 1800s that has been converted into a miniature history museum, one with a full bar and a 90-bottle beer list.

Behind the building is a bluff above a small field. The town's oral history claims that Indian leader Black Hawk addressed members of Sauk Valley Native American tribes assembled there. For winded cyclists, it's a place to tip back a cold one and picture the bluff as it would have looked in the early 1800s, with Black Hawk perched above and a crowd assembled below.

Yet another reward.

But for more goodies, more work was required. A sign warning truckers of our last hill of the day had been turned 90 degrees so the grade appeared completely vertical. And on the way up, it felt that way. The hill switched back and back again, revealing a new segment of the climb just when I thought we were done with it. It's a "10 out of 10." But the wind biting my cheeks as we whipped down the twisting downslope into a postcard-perfect pasture complete with babbling brook meant it had all been worth it.

Headed back to town, rolling past a crumbling stone structure, one of many old farmhouses and mills that are slowly disintegrating into the sides of the Galena hills, Duff turned to me and said, "I always think about these. What was that? Who used to live there, you know?"

It's easy to get lost in thought on a long ride, especially when you're riding through the ruins of another era.

Back at my car, about 4 hours and 20 minutes after we started, Duff plucked his business card off my windshield (this passes for a parking permit in Galena, apparently), and I bade farewell to his wife, Kathy, who had been trailing us in their car. Aside from terrain and history, the people of Galena — the sort willing to take a total stranger on a daylong tour complete with sag wagon — proved another reason to ride out here.

As my Camry kicked into gear, the engine groaning as it struggled up the hill and out of Galena, I smiled. I knew the feeling.

If you go

THE TERRAIN

Many of the area's roads are gravel and not suitable for road riding. Traffic generally is light, but storms can wash gravel across otherwise clear roads, so use caution. Three routes to try:

Moderate: Start at the school at Chetlain Lane and U.S. 20, a few minutes northwest of downtown Galena. Ride west, turn right on Menominee Road and take that until you hit the Wisconsin border. Return the way you came. Hills are moderate and rolling. The time-trial stage of the annual Tour of Galena is on Chetlain. (20 miles round trip)

Moderate: Head north on Main Street, which becomes Dewey Avenue. Once out of town, take the left fork to join Council Hill Road, which features one large climb and descent. Stop at Council Hill Station (6521 N. Hill Road, Scales Mound) for refreshments, return on the same route. (26 miles)

Advanced: Head south out of Galena on Blackjack Road and continue on Irish Hollow Road to Rocky Hill Road. Ascend the steepest climb in the area. Continue on Rocky Hill until reaching Blackjack Road again. Double back, make a right on Cemetery Road and a quick left on Irish Hollow Road, which will rejoin Blackjack and return you to town. Numerous steep climbs and descents. (17 miles)

JOIN A RIDE

Contact G.O.A.T.S. cycling club (goatscycling.com) for information about weekend rides and riding conditions. Riders can gear up and find maps and route information at Fever River Outfitters in downtown Galena (525 S. Main St., 815-776-9425, feverriveroutfitters.com).